What Do I Read When?

I've been thinking about the books that I read and why I choose them in the first place. A lot of it has to do with just "being in the mood" for something. I may have 20 books stacked on my shelves that I've never read, but a lot of times they just don't appeal to me and I am seized with desperation for something to read. I think all readers have this problem. We surround ourselves with books that we bought with the intention to read them in the near future, but months later they are still gathering dust right where we dropped them. I do find myself picking up those very book and losing myself in them, but for the most part time has to pass before I can commit myself to one of them.

In the past year I've learned that when I am really in need of escape I turn to mysteries. If I can lose myself in other people's troubles then I don't have to think about my own for the duration of the story. Mysteries are pretty perfect for this, because there is always a resolution. Someone did something that hurt, or killed, someone else and then they pay. It speaks to my own hurt feelings and disappointments and the revenge factor of wanting the person who hurt me to take responsibility for that. Clearly, it is also a plus that I didn't have to die to gain this satisfaction. At least not permanently. I read this sort of thing to escape from my own frustration and losses and to maybe, just maybe, come to the realization that it could always be worse.

Why do you read what you read? Have you ever thought about it? Or are you just reading something because it interests you without any other reason whatsoever? I'm interested.